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St. Patrick's Day Parade organizers revoke invitation to gay group to march in parade

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Members of the Catamount Pipe Band, from Montpelier, Vt., left, blows her bagpipes while marching in a St. Patrick's Day Parade last year. On Tuesday, parade organizers revoked their invitation to a gay rights group to march in this year's parade. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

BOSTON — Organizers of the annual South Boston St. Patrick's Day Parade have revoked their invitation to a gay rights group to march in this year's parade.

The organizers, the Allied War Veterans of South Boston, said in a statement that they were surprised their invitation to the gay rights organization LGBT Veterans for Equality to march in the parade was rejected by the group over concerns that they would not be allowed to march while openly identifying themselves as gay and lesbians.

The organizers said that allowing the group, an affiliate of Mass Equality, to march with signs and shirts referencing their sexuality would violate the code of conduct.

"It is our intention to keep this parade a family friendly event. We will not allow any group to damage the Integrity (sic) of the historic event or our reputation as a safe and fun filled day for all," said the unsigned statement from the group.

Organizers said in the statement that they were misled by the group when they said they had 20 gay veterans ready to march in the parade alongside Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh and other politicians.

"At a closed door City Hall meeting last night it was made clear to us that the LGBT Veterans for Equality do not have 20 United States Veterans who wish to march. Rather, they presented only one supposed Veteran and a group of others carrying rainbow flags," said the organizers in a statement.

"We, The Allied War Veterans of South Boston, fell (sic) we were misled by LGBT Veterans for Equality. It is our belief that the application submitted to us by LGBT Veterans for Equality was a ploy by them to enter this parade under false pretenses and is hereby denied," said the organizers.

Late yesterday, MassEquality sent out a statement expressing optimism about the ongoing talks organized by Walsh's office between organizers and gay rights advocates.

"No agreement was reached, but the conversation is ongoing. We hope that the Parade organizers will see exclusion as not only unfair, but harmful and not aligned with the many fair-minded and inclusive Bostonians -- Irish or not -- who participate in and enjoy this annual celebration of a community that is so vital to the city of Boston," said Mass Equality Executive Director Kara Coredini in a statement.